Beef Shawarma: Flavorful Mediterranean Street Food

What do you get when you marinate and season strips of sirloin with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and Mediterranean spices? Tender, super-flavorful beef that’s ideal for wrapping up into pita bread for a superbly satisfying meal.

Beef Shawarma Wraps

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

For Beef Shawarma
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup vinegar
Juice from two lemons, and zest from the lemons
2 tablespoons Shawarma seasoning (see recipe at the bottom of the page)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds sirloin, cut into strips
1 onion, sliced

For Tahini Sauce
½ cup tahini paste
3 garlic cloves, minced
Juice from 2 lemons
¼ cup water
¼ teaspoon salt

For Assembling
6 pita breads
4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
Medium red onion, sliced
Flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

Directions

For Beef Shawarma
Place the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, shawarma seasoning, and garlic into a large bowl; whisk. Add the steak strips to the marinade; stir to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place the steak and marinade into the fridge from 1 hour to overnight. When you’re about ready to cook the steak, add the onion slices and lemon zest to the bowl with the marinade. Transfer the ingredients from the bowl to a heavy-bottomed pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook and stir for 15 minutes.

For Tahini Sauce
Place the tahini paste, garlic, lemon juice, water, and salt into a food processor; blend until well combined.

For Assembling
Evenly distribute the cooked beef onto each pita bread. Top the beef with tomatoes, onion, and parsley. Spoon some of the tahini sauce onto the pitas, then roll up. Enjoy!

Shawarma Seasoning

Makes 10 (1 teaspoon) Servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Place all of the spices into a small jar with a tight-fitting lid; shake to combine. Store in a cool, dry location.